


Let Go

by WinchesterWarrenSon



Series: Battle Scars Series [4]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Developmentally Disabled Son Goku, Disability, Disabled Character, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 19:05:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3392813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinchesterWarrenSon/pseuds/WinchesterWarrenSon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connected to "Someone Cut the Phone Cord." Yamcha fixes things so Goku can go home. He should be with his family, after all. Not with a washed-up old man who has trouble getting out of bed some mornings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Go

Outside Bulma’s house, Yamcha found a bench to sit on and let out a grunt as his leg hurt significantly more as he shifted, then tempered down to an almost gentle throbbing. He sighed in relief, then gave Puar a very disappointed look.

Puar had the decency to look ashamed of herself.

"I just wanted you to be happy."

"Preventing Goku’s family from talking to him at all isn’t right in any circumstances. Chichi and Gohan and Goten are good people, Puar, and Goku had really wanted to hear from them…."

"I know. For a while, though, it seemed like it was working just fine and that he wasn’t that upset about it…."

Yamcha frowned hard.

"I don’t think that’s entirely accurate, Puar."

"Huh?"

"Goku … Goku doesn’t really think like we do. I think he … doesn’t think too hard about what he doesn’t understand but ends up internalizing a lot of stuff. It’s … hard to explain exactly because I can’t really drum up examples….. It’s kind of a you-had-to-be-there kind of thing…."

"Yamcha?" Puar said, not sure what to ask but she definitely knew she didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

Yamcha for a moment was getting lost in the memories he and Goku had conjured up over the last few months: Goku getting confused on the sleeping arrangements the first night, Yamcha learning that Goku really never understood the expectations of a married man or was even aware of what those expectations were, the awkward not-conversation about figuring out if Goku knew his new job was with a transgender bar and not crossdressers or even if Goku knew what a crossdresser was, Goku kissing his cheek and curling up against him when he had trouble getting out of bed, Goku carrying him when the leg pain was too much, Goku starting to be pro-active in being a caretaker for the first time Yamcha had ever seen.

"There’s a lot of stuff Goku just goes along with, and just because he goes along with it doesn’t mean he understands it or even that he’s all that okay with it…. It wasn’t fair to him, Puar, and he deserves an apology - they all do. At the very least."

Puar bowed her head and her shoulders slumped. “Yes, Yamcha….”

Yamcha then blushed as he made no moves to stand back up.

"We’ll give them a few minutes to catch up and start being on the mend before we bother them…." Yamcha said, not looking at Puar. In his haste to catch up to Goku, he entirely forgot his walking stick in the car, and he felt too embarrassed to actually ask. Puar had a habit of getting far too wrapped up in taking care of Yamcha to the point she neglected literally everything else she should or needed to do and to the point where she drove Yamcha crazy.

Puar was his bestest friend in the whole world, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have their own rough patches. It did mean that Yamcha could always forgive her, though. But he wasn’t going to ask that of Goku or Chichi. If they didn’t want to forgive her, Puar would just have to deal with it, and Yamcha would be there to comfort her.

After some time passed, Yamcha tried to get back onto his two feet again, but he ended up just falling back down onto the bench. He flushed wildly, and Puar’s ears perked up in concern.

"Is it the leg?" Puar asked.

Yamcha turned a brighter red color. “Yeah….”

Puar turned and flew to the car, but he watched as she tugged and tugged at the door handle. It had locked automatically and Puar didn’t have the key.

Yamcha pulled out the keys and clicked the unlock button. But it didn’t look like the signal could reach the car from that distance.

Yamcha sighed heavily. “Dammit….” He tried to stand back up again, but it just didn’t seem like that was going to happen right then. He groaned loudly to himself and stared up at the sky.

Puar was coming back over here. Yamcha took a deep breath and told himself it wasn’t really that big of a deal. Just frustrating and annoying.

"Yamcha?"

Goku’s voice made Yamcha jump, startled.

"G-Goku!"

"You okay?"

"Ah, yeah, I just… ."

Puar returned. “Car’s locked and he needs the walking stick,” she explained. Yamcha was still a bright red color in the face.

"I’ll help!" Goku said, but before Yamcha could give him the car keys, Goku instant-transmissioned away. Yamcha and Puar stared for a moment, then looked over at the car. There Goku was, inside of it and locating the cane. Then he teleported back beside them. "Here it is!"

Yamcha and Puar stared at Goku for a moment, then Yamcha started to laugh.

"It sure is. Thanks, Goku."

With the cane - and a slight lift from Goku - Yamcha got back onto his feet, his bad leg protesting significantly. He sighed as the pain radiated back up. He knew having so many good days in a row was too good to be true.

They went back inside the house, and it at least seemed like Chichi and Gohan were … less upset. Chichi was smiling a bit, but Gohan looked as though he wasn’t entirely sure about things.

Yamcha could’ve done without the obvious nonverbal recognition that Yamcha had a cane and then Chichi rubbing the back of her neck and then actively avoiding looking at it and Gohan staring at it. Yamcha could practically see the wheels turning in the kid’s head, wondering how he got hurt. But eh, he was kind of used to it, even if he didn’t like it. And they weren’t asking him anything, so that was better than usual.

Bulma actively not looking at it was something he had gotten used to and expected, and he didn’t begrudge her of it. In the beginning, when it wasn’t pernament and they were still dating, she had been really good about it. But the longer it had become an issue and then not getting back together and her getting with Vegeta who was immensely more physically fit, the more it seemed to bother Bulma - as though she felt guilty for making decisions for her own happiness and self because Yamcha wasn’t doing so hot.

He knew for certain that they had not broken up over the leg or even Yamcha’s anxiety (if anything, anxiety had been easier to fight off when he had been with her). And he was certain that rationally she knew his disability had nothing to do with them not being together anymore. Rationally, they both knew it was the furthest thing from either of their minds. But he could see why Bulma might feel a creeping, unwanted nervousness about it just because of how Yamcha and Vegeta compared and how that would look to outsiders.

It was no one’s fault, but the feelings were still there - something Yamcha could very much understand, so while he hated that the leg was an elephant in the room, he wasn’t upset by it.

Goku didn’t pick up on any of that.

"Puar, you had something to say." Yamcha nudged.

Puar floated forward, head bowed as she landed on the table.

"It was wrong of me to try to keep Goku apart from his family. It was selfish of me and hurtful. I’m really sorry!"

Puar bowed to Goku and Chichi, Goku blinking repeatedly and starting to look confused as to what Puar was doing. Chichi, however, was brought back into the moment and issue at hand. Though it also looked like she wasn’t going to forgive Puar, with the severe look on her face. Again, Yamcha couldn’t blame her. If someone had purposefully kept Goku away from him and -

Yamcha willed the thought away, because it only caused him to ache in a different way, because Goku surely was going back home with Chichi and Gohan. Leaving Yamcha, when Yamcha had no business being upset over that and no business wanting him to stay forever and no business wanting those strong arms to stay around him at night for the rest of Yamcha’s poor, pitiful, and probably short-in-comparison life.

"Why are you apologizing, Puar?" Goku asked, which made everyone look at Goku, shocked.

Puar stared up at Goku. “Because I did something bad … ?”

Goku furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side, clearly confused.

"But you did it because you wanted Yamcha to be happy and have company. That’s not a bad thing to want."

"Well, yeah, but - "

Yamcha put a hand on Goku’s shoulder, causing Goku to look at Yamcha instead.

"What Puar wanted wasn’t bad, but her methods of getting it were. It was manipulative and caused Chichi and your sons pain. It’s not right to sacrifice someone else’s happiness for another person’s."

Yamcha waited to see if Goku could understand that without further explaining or prompting. The wheels in his brain were certainly turning.

"Wait, so people can do bad things in order to do a good thing?" Goku asked.

"Well, yeah. And sometimes bad people do good things in order to do a bad thing. Like, a good thing can be part of a bigger scheme to hurt someone."

"Really!?" Goku’s reaction was a lot bigger than even Yamcha expected, and this seemed to be such a genuine shock for him at thirty-eight years old. It was … concerning, but Yamcha didn’t make a big deal out of it. "That’s terrible!"

"Yeah, it is. But some people just are like that. And sometimes good people make pretty big mistakes. And what Puar did is one of those things."

Puar nodded. “I got too focused on what Yamcha needed, I convinced myself that it was good for everyone, even though deep down I knew it wasn’t.”

"Ohhhhhh. I think I get it now," Goku said. Then he brightened up. "I forgive you, Puar."

Yamcha couldn’t help but smile a little. “You’re too nice sometimes, you know that?” he said.

Goku laughed a little and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, if Puar convinced herself she was going a good thing, I can’t really blame her for it, can I? The brain’s tricky.”

Yamcha blinked, surprised that what Yamcha had taught Goku about Yamcha’s depression and anxiety was influencing how Goku felt about Puar’s deception.

"I can," Chichi remarked, arms crossed. Puar shrunk in size (not literally, though she was capable of it), and Goku turned his head to look at Chichi, surprised. Yamcha fully expected that and completely understood it, supported it even. To an extent, of course, he wasn’t going to encourage any outrageous punishments or anything.

They were interrupted, however, by the sound of gleeful children, and Trunks and Goten ran into the room, sweaty and in their martial arts gi, quietly followed by Vegeta. The two boys stopped when they saw Goku, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong.

"Dad! You’re back!" Goten said, running up to Goku and hugging his leg. Goku leaned down and picked Goten up, grinning.

"Yeah, I am back!"

"For how long this time?" Goten asked.

Chichi and Yamcha actually had the same reaction to the question - confusion. Partially because it was a child who asked it, but partially because it really hadn’t occurred to Chichi or Yamcha that Goku staying with Chichi and the boys wasn’t a sure thing or pernament.

"That’s a good question," Goku said, and Yamcha had no idea if he should feel like the world was crumbling or not.

"What do you _mean_ that’s a good question!?” Chichi demanded. “You’re coming home and staying home!”

"Aren’t you?" Yamcha followed that up with. It was certainly their expectation. But Goku wasn’t very good at fulfilling expectations.

Gohan sighed. “I knew it,” he grumbled, slumping down further into the chair.

"Well, we haven’t talked about that yet," Goku said. "I mean, are you still mad? And we have to ask Yamcha what he thinks."

"We _have_ to?” Chichi asked, astonished.

"Yeah, I mean, he and I are married now." A beat. "Aren’t we?" Turn of the head to look at Yamcha, who is now staring at Goku with complete and utter incomprehension and shock.

"Wha - ? No! No, we’re not married, what makes you think we’re married!?" Yamcha had a bit of trouble regulating his volume due to shock.

"We’ve been living together."

"That doesn’t mean we’re married, Goku," Yamcha said, realization starting to dawn on him. "And Chichi kicking you out doesn’t mean you’re divorced."

"What’s divorce?"

Ohhhhhh shit.

"B-b-b-besides, we can’t be married, we didn’t sign anything and there wasn’t a wedding!"

Goku blinked. “The wedding is part of the marriage?”

Yamcha’s brain couldn’t handle this. A glance at Chichi said she couldn’t either.

He tried to take a deep breath.

"Okay. Goku, you tell me what you think a marriage is," Yamcha said, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Two people living together," Goku said. "Unless they’re your parents. Or grandparents."

"So, to you, Bulma and Vegeta are married."

"Yeah!" Goku said, grinning, happy to be understood. Bulma and Vegeta started to have expressions that indicated that no, they most certainly were not married and didn’t even like the sound of being married.

"And … what do you think living together requires?"

"Uh … to be in the same house?"

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear.

"And … just because I’m now genuinely curious, where do you think married people’s children come from?"

"He knows that one," Chichi said, but Goku immediately followed that with:

"You find them and then take them in to live with you."

There was a long pause of silence.

"WHAT!?" Chichi shouted, and Gohan groaned and covered his face to hide how embarrassed he was. "But - but - but -! You were there! You saw me pregnant - !"

Goku raised an eyebrow at Chichi. “Pregnant? What’s that?”

Yamcha had to sit down. Kami, give him strength.

Chichi just stared at Goku, completely astounded by just how little Goku understood about his own home life.

"So you’ve … never seen anyone give birth before?" Bulma asked, double-checking. Goku shook his head. Bulma gave him a strained smile. "Don’t tell me you were out hunting or something and then came back and there was Gohan in Chichi’s arms."

"That’s exactly what happened," Goku said, looking a little confused as to why everyone was staring at him in different ways. Or why Gohan was absolutely refusing to look at anything but his palms very up close to his face.

"And you were dead when Goten was born…." Chichi said, coming to the realization that her husband really had no idea at all about things she had taken for granted as basic information. Things she just didn’t know or realize that she would need to talk him through. She was starting to get a gross, crawling feeling under her skin, and she suddenly didn’t feel well at all. Her memories of shy virgin sex with what she had thought was sufficient communication now felt disturbing, and it was such a dramatic shift in mood and feeling that she found herself unable to say much else.

"Chichi?" Goku asked, not really able to piece together why she was upset, but he could practically sense her mood shift as though it was ki, and he was instantly worried. The body language and vocal tone reminded him of when Yamcha was having a bad depressive day.

Something was wrong and he didn’t know what it was, and what was he supposed to do … ?

Yamcha watched, and he knew more than ever that Goku had to go home. He had to talk to Chichi and figure this stuff out with her, and Yamcha couldn’t help him with that.

"Goku?"

Goku turned to look at Yamcha.

"You go ahead and go home, okay? I’ll call you guys later to see how things are working out. Just … spend time with them and work things out. Can you do that?"

Goku nodded.

Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong then left, Yamcha glad the car was designed so he could drive it even with his bad leg acting up and hoping that the Son family would get back to feeling better.


End file.
